Mater Dei wears out Oaks Christian

Dawkins, Lions give gutsy effort in loss

RICHARD QUINN/SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Oaks Christian High School wide receiver Darnay Holmes (middle) looks to run down field against Mater Dei High School defensive back London Iakopo (left) and linebaker Jared Wilson in Friday's first round playoff game. 11/15/13 Westlake Village, CA

Ventura County Star

RICHARD QUINN/SPECIAL TO THE STAR
After scoring the first touchdown for Oaks Christian High School in Friday's first round playoff game against Mater Dei High School, quarterback Brandon Dawkins (middle) celebrates with team mates Chris Davis (left) and Malik Patton (right). 11/15/13 Westlake Village, CA

Ventura County Star

RICHARD QUINN/SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Mater Dei High School running back Justin Allen (left) is tripped up from behind by Oaks Christian High School corner back Darik Holmes in Friday's first round playoff game. 11/15/13 Westlake Village, CA

Ventura County Star

RICHARD QUINN/SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Oaks Christian High School quarterback Brandon Dawkins (right) runs for some extra yards before being pushed out of bounds by Mater Dei High School linebacker Grant Moore in Friday's first round playoff game. 11/15/13 Westlake Village, CA

Ventura County Star

Oaks Christian High running back Chris Davis (middle) is dragged down by Mater Dei defensive back Johnny Johnson and linebacker Jonathan Lockett during their first round playoff game Friday in Westlake Village.
Photos by RICHARD QUINN/SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Ventura County Star

Mater Dei fullback Malik McMorris flips over the goal line to score in the first half Friday night.

Ventura County Star

There's no secret as to what makes the Mater Dei High football team a load to handle.

"They're big and physical, and their power game is tough to stop," said Oaks Christian School junior linebacker Andre Chevalier.

"We wanted to match their physicality in the second half, and to a great extent we did that. But they keep pounding away. They try to wear you down."

Try as they might, the fast and explosive Lions couldn't take down big and physical Mater Dei in the opening round of postseason Friday night.

Mater Dei rushed for 298 yards and four touchdowns, and the Monarchs cashed in on Oaks Christian's only turnover on a crucial fourth-quarter series to pound out a 28-17 victory in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Pac-5 Division playoffs at Oaks Christian School.

Two scoring drives by the Lions in the third quarter, capped off by a 3-yard run by quarterback Brandon Dawkins and a 41-yard field goal by Jamie Sullivan, enabled Oaks Christian to cut the deficit to 21-17 heading into the final quarter.

But after the Lions took possession at their own 7-yard line with 6:37 left in the contest, disaster struck. Dawkins was stripped of ball on a first-down run and Mater Dei's Ben Humphreys recovered at the 16-yard line.

Just one play later, the Monarchs' London Iakopo rumbled in for the touchdown and a 28-17 lead.

"We kept battling. We kept fighting," said Oaks Christian wide receiver/cornerback Jeremy Vincent, who notched five catches for 110 yards. "They're bigger than us, but we tried to stand up, especially in the second half.

"We used our speed on offense and our toughness on defense, but we couldn't pull it out."

Dawkins, playing his final game for the Lions, completed 20 of 38 passes for 235 yards, and also rushed 10 times for 94 yards and two touchdowns. His 54-yard scoring run in the second quarter was the Lions' biggest play of the night.

Dawkins also demonstrated his grit in the second quarter. He took an apparent shot to the head on a third-down play, wobbled off the field while vomiting, and ended up missing just one play.

He returned on the next series, and played the entire second half.

Mater Dei completed just 2 of 10 passes for 20 yards and one interception. Instead, the Monarchs thrived on the ground.

Iakopo had 54 yards and two scores on four carries. Justin Allen is the Monarchs' workhorse, rushing 17 times for 63 yards.

"Our approach is the be physical and keep pounding at you," said quarterback Chase Forrest. "They (the Lions) have a dangerous offense, so it was to our advantage to hold onto the football, grind the clock, and keep them off thefield."

Oaks Christian ends its season at 8-2, and is eliminated for the second straight year in the first roud of postseason. Mater Dei improves to 9-2, and will take on No. 2 seed Mission Viejo in the next Friday's quarterfinals.

For Oaks Christian, Chris Davis grabbed six receptions for 67 yards, and also had a 44-yard punt return.

A physical approach staked Mater Dei to a 21-7 at halftime.

The highlight play in the first half for Oaks Christian was delivered by Dawkins, whose 54-yard touchdown run on second-and-11 trimmed the Monarchs' lead to 14-7 with 7:17 left in the second quarter.

The rest of the half belonged to the Mater Dei defense and running game.

The Monarchs attempted just four passes in the half, connecting on one completion for 16 yards. One attempt ended in an interception.

The running game picked up the slack with 199 yards on 24 carries. Forrest led the way with 84 yards on five carries.

Mater Dei score on its second possession with a seven-play, 64-yard march. The key play was a 29-yard run by Iakopo, who capped the drive with a 10-yard carry up the middle for a TD.

The Monarchs' next possession resulted in a nine-play, 85-yard touchdown drive, all on the ground. The final yard came on Malik McMorris's 1-yard leap into the end zone with 9:18 remaining in the second quarter.

After Dawkins' run cut the deficit to 14-7, Mater Dei responded just before halftime.

A 10-play, 65-yard drive ended on Jonathan Lockett's 5-yard run on an end-around with 24 seconds left before halftime.